Nicole Bobek: Figure Skater Behaving Badly

Former figure skater Nicole Bobek, who won the national championship in 1995, was arraigned in New Jersey yesterday and charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamines (she has since posted bail.) According to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, she “played a significant role” in and “was actively involved in the upper echelon” of a drug ring that has already resulted in at least a dozen arrests, including her own.

Given Bobek’s history of run-ins with the law, the news shouldn’t be that surprising. The 31-year-old skating teacher, who, as most reporters have taken extreme care to note, finished a “disappointing” 17th in the 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano, Japan, has a history of legal brush-ups. In November of 1994, the then-juvenile entered a friend’s home and stole money from her wallet, resulting in her being charged with first-degree home invasion; charges were later dropped. But even more tellingly, she’s… a figure skater!

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